This morning I’m thinking about all the options out there for bloggers and people online. I’ve been wondering if I should add my own page and information to MySpace because I see it come up all over. But there are just so many ways, places and tools out there. How do you keep them all straight? Which ones do you find the most meaningful and useful?

It seems like everyone is creating and re-creating networking blogs and communities these days. I like MyBlogLog for it’s simplicity and ability to create a central “hub” for each blogger housing all the blogs they author. The only problem is it’s so hard to keep it meaningful because most people are using it for growth only so go adding contacts with everyone they click on. It messes up the accuracy of what their profile represents because contacts aren’t just people they share interests with nor are the blog communities they join necessarily more than reciprocated memberships from others. Unfortunately, this makes the concept fun but generally meaningless. But it’s simple and the icon widget of recent readers is getting me back there several times a day so kudos to the designers on that. I dislike the forced default navigation though with page redirects and everything always using the same window - it makes it difficult to get or stay where you want to go sometimes.

The problem is there are so many different social networks for blogging, combining blogs and group blogging it’s just plain too much for me. I need an organization method to keep them all straight - like my Google Reader for subscriptions! *laugh* So what do you do?

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Blogging

Kailani just started a fun post to share artwork our kids have done of their families. These are two of my favorites. The first one was when my daughter was 3 and she drew a family that included a baby because she was praying for a baby brother or sister. The next one is just over a year later of her with her new sister that she was still praying for. Her brother arrived with a three day warning and was in our arms on her 5th birthday. We’ve always told her and everyone else that he’s here because she prayed him here. We actually closed our adoption file 3 months before we learned about him but didn’t have the heart to tell her. She never stopped praying and never missed a night for 2 years. I guess she just saw that family that mom and dad couldn’t at the time.

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Family Adoption Sharing Inspiration Perspectives Motherhood

I was innocently sitting here minding my own business when out of the blue I was assaulted with one of the sweetest surprise bombs. I got an e-mail from a good friend giving me a heads up. This friend is loyal, honest and real. I’ve never met her in person, but I feel like I’ve known her my whole life. Her name is Mary and as you may have guessed she’s a blogger who goes by the name Mert and writes about how her view is Almost, Somewhat Positive. Here’s what she wrote to give me a heads up about:

“Holly is everything I would love to be as a mom, human and writer. Sure, she’s probably not perfect but she is perfect to me. Holly’s blog is so much more than that, and she is always writing something funny and thought provoking, and she inspires me in so many ways. Her writing flows, and is so gracious and eloquent- it doesn’t matter what she writes about, it’s always beautiful.*I also give this award to Holly for Thinking that I am worth the read, despite what she might find here at the circus. LOL!*“

Okay first, she is definitely worth the read and I love the circus. *wink* Second I feel a wee bit overwhelmed. Third I’m already stressing about how to pay it all forward! Pressure, pressure. She’s already nabbed several of the great bloggers I know and enjoy for this award and I know I have to act fast before Kailani beats me to some of the remaining blogs not already selected for the award! You see, as big as the blogosphere is, I find that some social networks are still pretty tight and so often I see the same great bloggers come up over and over in my own spheres of involvement that I know many I would chose are already on her list. The hard part is that as I look through many on my list I see so many that I visit for a variety of reasons that it’s hard to choose. As this is about targeting blogs that really make me think, and several great bloggers have already been tagged I’ll have to narrow my focus. So here are the 5 bloggers I’m selecting for the Thinking Blogger award:

Carmi - I’ve already said before how much I really like his blog and photos. Everything he shares is so point on yet simple. It’s like the perfect balance. He leaves his readers with a question/challenge that is always thought provoking and I always enjoy visiting.

Kelly - I’m not sure but I think we might have been separated at birth because I am constantly amazed at our similarities. She has such a positive energy and warmth that radiates from her writings. And she’s on my list of people I really want to meet in person. Like Mary, I feel like I’ve known her all my life.

Wendy - She was one of the first authors of an article my husband pointed me to about eMoms blogging to encourage me to start blogging. She has put so much thought and energy into learning blogging and how to make it work that anyone who knows her knows exactly what I’m talking about!

Linda - A blogging buddy who explains so beautifully in every post the purpose of her blog’s title. She’s not afraid to call black, black and white, white yet she does it with such tact and insight that I always enjoy her posts. I believe she knows well what she talks about.

Blake - What’s most amazing here is that you’d think that by living with him for 15 years I’d be pretty darn informed in the arena of what’s on his mind. Yet I’m constantly amazed at what he blogs and how it’s like reading the works of someone I know as a good friend not a spouse. In fact, since he slowed down blogging I’ve been at his heels to write more again because I really miss his daily posts.

You know, it’s always fun to share the link love and shout outs to blogs that others have created awards for. You don’t have to be a recipient to share the concept. I’ve been wanting to get better about sharing more thoughts, links and compliments to so many great bloggers I’ve come to know and read yet somehow the task keeps slipping on the back burner. So I appreciate the occasional nudge that makes me do it. While we’re on the topic I have to share a few more for various reasons of my own:

The Loyalty Award goes to Laura for he constant vigilance in both blogging and gracing my blog with her reading and linking.

The Laughing Out Loud Award goes to Jamie as she keeps me giggling and laughing constantly. It’s nice to know you’re not alone in the universe and she reminds me of it such a comical and down to earth way - she’s just awesome.

The Shared Passion Award goes to Daddy Forever because I feel like we’re on the same page with so many parenting things and best of all we e-mail about Heroes too!

Okay, that’s all for now because it’s time to pick up kids.

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Sharing Positive Impact Potential Inspiration Blogging

Well, I’m deciding to start the day by looking for silver linings. It’s amazing how many can actually be found when you start looking. Too bad it’s not more difficult to always see the clouds. Here’s a short random list showing just how diverse the clouds can be:

• This morning was a little crazy in that I had to take my dog to the vet at 7 a.m. It was extra chaos and work to meet everyone’s needs.
  I can say I’m not just ready but well into my day only an hour and a half later.
• My photoshop software stopped working after my daughter’s Disney digital camera software was installed.
  I actually found the program CD with ease, am SO grateful the photo files are not stored with the program files that need removed/replaced and my daughter loves her new camera. (Ha! triple header!)
• Sanjaya is still on American Idol; a sad display of things gone wrong and long term I believe it could be a very bad/damaging reflection on the kid in the near future.
  I can still have an opinion/vote and while he may be burning his “15 minutes of fame” at least he’s getting it full throttle.
• Unexpected bills and expenses always come up and rob me of my positive thoughts on all things financial.
  Yesterday my bank account received the state portion of our tax refund.

So there’s always a way to achieve balance, I just find it requires a little effort on my part. (more…)

And it’s not just about Chris going home tonight, it’s about Sanjaya being in his own universe. I just shake my head wondering how he keeps getting enough votes to remain in a competition that has swallowed him. Personally I think every week he remains does more damage for himself and his future - now he’s being discussed as the worst contestant ever to make it into the top 12, then 10…put that on your resume after the teeny boppers find a new love. It’s like the train wreck you can’t stop watching and we’re all just waiting for the wave to come to a crashing end. And for what it’s worth, I think we’ll notice a change in chemistry with Chris leaving. I think he was a tension buster for the entire group and I think his absence will have a noticeable impact.

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TV Talk

That would be me and my daughter at nearly the same age.

[blenza_autolink ww]

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Family Funnies Emotions Motherhood Wordless

I am generally an optimist. I like to see the glass as half full, find solutions to problems, give the benefit of the doubt, etc. I’ve even had the occasional comment about my looking at the world through rose colored glasses. It’s true to a large degree because I think you find what you’re looking for. Negative is free and in abundance, it screams while positive whispers. Yet positive is there too and I find its whisper carries more power than the loudest negative.

This morning I’m struggling because I’ve just been enveloped in negative behavior that has me really concerned. Of all the things lost in today’s world, I am mourning the family unit and proper care and nurturing of children.
(more…)

Friday brought more rain showers for us last week and they were heavy. You can see how much water was flowing down the entire street that afternoon!

I was afraid it would wash out the new garden, but thankfully what had made it up had just enough roots to withstand the swimming pool factor.

The only bad result was losing our cable service for a day - and believe me, no internet access for a whole day is a very big deal for this mom!

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Family Parenting Gardening Sharing

The education of motherhood is a tireless journey. It takes no vacations, it doesn’t sleep, and it never stops. Sometimes I feel like a boat on the waters of motherhood - we have our calm times, a few big storms, some rolling waves and sometimes an all out tidal wave. The various conditions come and go as quickly as the waves to the shore and just as constant too.

Take the last 15 minutes for example. We’re sitting down for a nice family dinner. Dad cooked ribs and mom added some mixed veggies and stuffing to round it out. My 4 year old son is a real stinker about eating. He’ll eat almost any meat as long as it’s solo on the plate - and it’s all he’ll eat. He dug into the ribs with no problem, but when mom insisted that he eat some veggies (you see she’d determined he was old enough for mom to start pushing the issue) the resistance was instant and swift. Mom held her ground. She told him he couldn’t get up from the table until he ate the four small carrot slices dad put on his plate.

“I no like them” was the repeated response.

Mom’s retort, “I didn’t ask if you liked them, I told you you had to eat them.”

Reluctantly he put the first one in his mouth. Mom smiles enjoying her victory. The boy responds by making the most terrible facial expressions while chewing to ensure no question of his misery. Mom and dad were trying hard not to show their fits of laughter inside. (Incidentally, this is one of the hardest parts of parenthood for which is there is no adequate training or warning.) Just as mom was about to tell him not to make such a big deal out of it he started gagging. The next thing he shared was a stream of puke onto his lap.

Sister screams and declares the gross factor - because clearly she is under the assumption an announcement was necessary and beneficial to all present. Dad tells her THAT doesn’t help and proceeds to undress the boy. Mom starts with the dreaded cleaning task and wisely gives a quick word of warning to the girl that this is clearly not funny and any attempts to repeat it would be a bad idea. (Mom knows her daughter.)

Sister gives a sly smile which brings on an addition from dad, “And besides, when you’re big enough you have to clean up your own mess.”

This brought on a wave of indignation with her questioning if she now would have to clean up her own throw up if she got sick. To which mom replies affirmative and explains that it’s why we make it to the toilet when we get older.

The boy throws in the final jab before leaving the table to wash his hands:

“I told you the carrots make me puke.”

Dad eeks out a snort of laughter before getting it under control. Mom attempts at damage control by pointing out it’s not the carrots that made him puke but rather his dramatic gagging ploy. But this battle is already lost.

Moments later the girl pipes up:

“Mom you, should SO blog this.”

Mom looks at dad and says that clearly if her 9 year old daughter responds with instruction to “blog this” mom spends too much time blogging. Dad laughs and says it’s true. Then mom says the fitting end would be for dad to blog the fact that the 9 year old would tell her mom to blog as obviously her job is to blog the puking incident.

And there you have it folks. Lesson #1 - Don’t force your kid to eat their veggies unless you want to clean up puke. Lesson #2 - Never think for a moment you’re not spending too much time blogging.

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Family Parenting Funnies Motherhood

I’m doing the celebration dance. (Sorry no pics, you’ll just have to use your imagination.)Thanks to my hubby I’ve finally got my blog more the way I want it. Yay!! I’ve been wanting to declutter the blog bog for a while now as well as make navigating what I blog easier. He helped me tweak a few little bugs and add some thematic elements to my navigation.

It was so nice to get a few things done that I’ve been thinking about for so long. The blog bog of the sidebar has really been bugging me for a while. I wanted it in it’s own place that didn’t distract my blog. I wanted to make it easier to read what I write and see what my corner is all about and why it exists. You can now read some of my series and best articles in a single click under the worthy reads side bar section. I’m so happy about it I just have to twist and shout!

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Blogging